ONE PIECE
Two Worlds, One Family
A young woman struggling to find her place in the world wakes up to find a bunch of cats in her room...cats that turn out to be the characters from her favourite TV show, One Piece! Bound to each other, whether they like it or not, and trying to figure out a way to find a certain somebody's lost Nakama and get everyone back to their home, what follows is bound to be chaos, friendship, tears, romance - and, adventure! (Kind of a re-write of Straw Cat Pirates).
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Promises And Betrayal
When Emma woke up the next morning, for a second she wasn't sure where she was. Then, memories of the fight with her parents came flooding back to her...running out the back, getting the call from Ace...he'd come over straight away, taking precisely thirteen minutes and eight seconds to get from Fremantle to Banjup, nothing short of a record that even Usain Bolt wouldn't have been able to accomplish.
There had been one brief moment when Ace had seriously threatened to storm up to the house, when he'd taken that first look at Emma's bloodied face, but she'd managed to convince him not to. He'd stayed with her after that, helping her to clean her face, and asking her what the fight had been about. He'd listened patiently when she'd told him, and then sat with her in the shed, wrapping the blanket around both of them - not that they needed it, since Ace's temperature was running at a very toasty forty-two degrees Celsius. Emma had found herself cuddling up against his bare-chest, closing her eyes and letting him play with her hair, and then allowing his hands to explore other parts of her body, within reason. When he'd gotten to her throat, and ran his finger along the thin white scar that was there, she'd told him the story of how she'd gotten it. Diagnosed with thyroid cancer at fifteen, she'd had the entire right side of her thyroid removed, though the girls at school had given her a hard time because she'd been so pale after her operation. It was part of the reason she was so small, as well as being premature. She even told him what had happened to her when she was little.
"Mum said, that when I was one, a had fibril convulsion, which I guess is like a seizure. It must've been scary for her - my body temperature rose, and I nearly died."
"Then she should be protecting and cherishing you, not hurting you."
"Hmm..."
Now, waking up, Emma took the opportunity to study Ace's features. Those freckles...that innocent-looking face (when he was asleep - when he was awake, he was purely evil)...those abs...
Emma glanced down at Ace, noticing how loose his jeans seemed, and then she glanced down at herself, and noticed her scruffy and loose her own clothes seemed.
Her eyes widened. Wait, did we...? No, no, I'm pretty sure I would remember that... She nodded to herself, knowing that she was still a virgin. They'd kissed (quite a bit), but nothing further.
She relaxed, and that was when she noticed something in the pocket of Ace's pants. Curious, she carefully reached into the pocket, and her fingers closed around two rings.
'What brings you here?'
What was that?
Emma's heart nearly stopped, as she withdrew her hand, and stared in shock at the two brilliant gold rings. One was bigger than the other, and had a single, pinkish-white stone set in it. The other smaller one had three of the same kind of stone. Emma frowned, looking at the rings, and wondering why they looked familiar to her...
'I don't consider you to be an enemy.'
There it is again...
Just then, she sensed that Ace was beginning to wake, and quickly thrust the rings back into his pocket.
When Ace's eyelids fluttered open, he found Emma staring at him, her face pink.
"Was it good for you, too?" She whispered.
Ace nearly had a heart attack, as he straightened up quickly. "What?! We didn't...did we...have we...did it...?!" He suddenly realised that Emma was laughing, and realised that she'd fooled him. He smirked. "Oh, you're in trouble now!" He said, pouncing on her.
She managed to twist her body around, pushing him to the ground, and landing on top of him, with her knees on either side of his arms, effectively pinning him to the ground.
"Yes, Champion!" She boasted, raising her hands in the air.
Ace suddenly smirked, and reached up with his hands, grabbing the insides of her thighs, and making her gasp. She fell against his chest, her lips mere inches from his, and Ace gladly closed the distance between them.
They drew back, looked at each other, and grinned.
"I really don't know what to do with you." Ace admitted, as Emma got off him, and he sat up. He continued to gaze at her, almost intently. "Emiko...?"
"Hai, Ace-Chan?" She smiled at him.
He was...blushing? Just a little bit, but it was there. "Well, I..."
"What is it?" She was still smiling, but it faded in the next instant when they heard footsteps crunching on the gravel, approaching the shed. "Oh shite, hide!" She hissed, and she and Ace both grabbed the blanket and bloodied tissues, throwing them into a corner of the shed behind the tractor, before Emma's hand flew to her compass, and Ace was a cat once more.
When Lee walked into the shed, it was to find Emma standing there with her hands behind her back, looking totally blank.
"Well, I hope you've learned your lesson." Lee said. She felt a little bit bad for the argument last night, but Emma looked no worse for wear. Maybe this would toughen her up a bit?
"Uh-huh..." Emma grinned somewhat sheepishly and, keeping her hands behind her back, walked to the door, keeping her eyes on her Mother. "Well, umm...I'd better have a shower before TAFE...it's been a couple of days...heh heh..." She quickly transferred her hands to her front as she turned around, and in her arms was a black cat, though Lee didn't see this, as Emma high-tailed it back up to the house.
"You deserve an award for that performance." Ace whispered, as they reached the back patio.
"Really?"
"No."
Emma pointed to the pool. "I will throw you in there." She threatened, and Ace had the sense to shut up.
Fate sat at a round table, moving small stone tablets around with her hands, as she sang softly.
"Allies united, under friendship's fire,
Bring light to evil's vain desire,
Alone you fail, but you will be aligned,
Under the rule of a Princess you have yet to find,
When you find her, you will know,
The light that guides you, she will show,
A power needed, for the thirteen,
To save the worlds, seen and unseen,
Then venture forth into the lair,
Of monster from an ancient nightmare,
Stand together in the darkness' face,
Stand united under Grace."
Fate smiled, as the tablets in front of her began to glow. She didn't like what they told her, but that was what was going to happen. She continued to smile.
Destiny approached Fate from behind, her blue hair swinging behind her. "What is it that you see, Fate?"
Fate gestured to the tablets. "Take a look."
Destiny leaned over, and waved her hand over the tablets, creating a small pool, like a hologram.
It showed a beach, with huge craters clearly from a battle. As they watched, the image showed that Marine Admiral, Sakazuki, heading towards a doomed person whose face was in the shadows. The next thing they saw was Emma, haunched over a bloodied body, as her shoulders shook uncontrollably. She then stared up at the sky, her face a pure look of distress and, though she did not cry, her glassy eyes reflected the starless sky, as she screamed.
There was a flash of light, and the image dissipated.
Destiny stared at the tablets on the table, before muttering: "What does it mean?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Fate continued to smile. She turned to look up at Destiny. "Emma stopped the death of one who was destined to die, but that was irrelevant to Death herself - somebody must die, and it's going to happen soon."
"Who is it?" Destiny wanted to know. "Should I be going and seeing this person?"
"Yes you should." Fate replied.
"So I am."
"So, when it's separated in the ratio of 1:1, 618, it's called the Golden Mean."
What does that even mean? Emma wondered, blinking as she stared up at the whiteboard. Why is it called the Golden 'Mean', anyway? Is it a mean rectangle? Isn't 'mean' what Maoris and my sister say when when something 'good'? So then, it's good...right?
"So, make sure you take things like this into account when you're designing your logos." The Austrian lecturer was saying, as he handed around sheets of paper. "Remember, I want two hundred thumb-nails."
"What?!" Everybody cried.
"Nein, I am just kidding, you only need to do twenty." The lecturer smiled, and then added: "Now, get to work!"
Everybody scurried for their pencils and such, and got to work sketching and researching.
Emma, though she was half-heartedly sketching, went onto Face-Book. Her hand shook, as it hovered over the Save box...to do it, or not to do it?!
"Emma?" A voice said from behind her, making her jump, and accidentally hit to button that saved her changes to her profile!
Ahh... Emma stared in horror at the screen, which now stated that she was in a relationship! I didn't decide yet!
Turning around and trying not to look panicked, Emma looked up to see Georgia standing there. She was surprised by this, but even more surprised by the expression on the usually confident red-head's face - she looked almost...nervous?
"Y-yes?" Emma stammered, her hand flying to her throat - damn it, why did she always do that when she was nervous?!
"Did you come up with a design yet?" Georgia asked.
"Umm, no, not yet..." Emma carefully tried to minimize her page without Georgia seeing it. She was feeling quite awkward about this - Georgia had never approached her in class and, in fact, last Wednesday was the only time they'd really had a civil conversation. "Have you?"
"Sort of," Georgia scuffed the toe of her mauve ankle boot on the carpet. "Actually, I was wondering if I could borrow your necklace?"
"My necklace?" Emma repeated, her hand instantly drifting to the red heart with wings. "What for?"
"To sketch." Georgia rolled her eyes, seeming much more like the Georgia that everybody knew. "I have this really good idea, but I can't get it down without having something to look at, so can I look at your necklace for a bit while I draw it?"
"Umm..." Emma swallowed nervously. She never took off her necklace, as per. Faith's requests, but it wouldn't be so bad to let Georgia borrow it to draw it for their class, now, would it? After all, it might help to bridge the gap between them, and, after all, Emma had (accidentally) sent Georgia's sister to another world, so the least she could do was help Georgia pass the class. "Yeah, sure, okay..." She carefully unclipped her necklace, and handed it to Georgia. As she did, she suddenly felt a strange sense, like somebody was telling her not to, but she shrugged it off, as the ruby caught the light. "Here you go."
"Thank you." Georgia said vehemently, clutching the necklace in her hand and, for just a second, she stared at it, before turning and walking back to her desk, where she sat down again.
Emma sighed, feeling slightly strange all of a sudden, and then she turned around and maximized her page. She found sixteen requests from various friends and family (that was nearly half of her Friends list), demanding a name and a picture of the man she was in a relationship to, so Emma uploaded the picture from her phone, and sat back, waiting for the response.
She began to space out again, as she idly sketched with one hand, and found herself drawing the rings that she'd found in Ace's pocket that morning.
Her heart started to pound. What did this mean?
What had Ace been about to ask her?
Emma was just starting to get that tingly feeling inside, when the fire alarm went off.
Ace sat on the rooftop, humming quietly to himself (he'd been spending too much time around Emma - he was humming the theme song from Charmed). In the palm of his hand were the two gold rings. He kept on taking them out of his pocket and looking at them.
He'd been given them the night before, just before rushing out to come to Emma's rescue...
"Ace, wait!" Garp had called, hurrying out to Ace, who literally stopped in mid-stride, glancing over his shoulder in frustration.
"Ojichan..."
Garp gave him a Look, and caught up to him. "Don't take that tone with me, you ungrateful brat!" He held out his hand, and opened it up, to reveal two golden rings in his palm. Ace just stared. "Go ahead, take them - they're yours now."
Ace glanced up at him. "But, where...?"
Garp carefully picked up one gold band, which was bigger, and had a single whitish-pink stone embedded into it. "This one was your Father's..." He stated, and Ace's eyes glazed over.
"But, a newborn child bears no sin...Garp, you and I have nearly killed each other countless times...I trust you as much as I would a member of my own crew. Protect him for me."
"Don't try that selfish crap on me!"
"No, I know you'll do it. And, when the time is right...give this to him...they didn't take it off me before, but I've no doubt that they will before my execution. I want him to have it, though...I don't want it to go to some stranger..."
Garp sighed, and held up the other ring. It was smaller, and had three pinkish-white stones in it instead of one. "This one was your Mother's..."
Ace looked up then, gasping silently, and slightly shocked.
"His name will be...Gol D. Ace...and...give this to him...when the time is right...give this to him, to give to his precious one...the one that he will...love...the one who loves him...as much as I...do..."
Garp held the rings up, and they glittered in the street-light.
Ace didn't say anything, as a mixture of emotions passed over his face. He stared at the rings that had once belonged to his parents, not sure what to do, think or feel, so he didn't do any of those three things, as Garp took Ace's hand and pressed the rings firmly but gently into his palm.
Closing his adopted grandson's fingers over the two golden bands, Garp said: "They both said the same thing - that these were to be given to you when the time was right. Ace...you..."
"I know." Ace replied, his fingers tightening over the two rings.
"No, you don't know." Garp replied, shaking his head. "There's so much that you don't know. You think you do, but you don't." As Ace turned, and ran off without another word, Garp sighed. "But you will..."
Now, sitting on the rooftop, Ace wondered what his Grandfather had meant. What could there possibly be left to know?
What does it mean...to be a man in love? To have a girlfriend? Nobody was ever there to really tell me, except for maybe Makino-San...God, I wish I knew...all I know is that I want to...
There was a sudden sound, like a high-pitched ringing sound, followed by a strange siren-like sound. Ace sat up a bit straighter, realising that it was coming from the building where Emma's classes were.
What is that?
As he watched, people began to pour out of the building, walking in groups, and heading for a grassy area near the TAFE library.
Ace stood up, looking around for Emma. He spotted her, walking to the back of the crowd of her classmates, her backpack slung over one shoulder, and Ace jumped down from the rooftop, covertly making his way over to her as he stuffed the rings back in his pocket.
"Emiko?" He asked, grabbing her arm.
"Ace-Chan!" She whirled around, seeming more confused than scared.
"What's going on?" Ace wanted to know.
"Fire alarm." Emma replied, looking all around her. "It's not a drill, though, because there was no warning, but..."
Almost as if they all heard her, as one, everybody turned to look back at the building.
Ace narrowed his eyes, as he focused his senses on the building. He didn't sense any fire, but there was something...else. What was it?
"This is strange..." Emma muttered, before she raised her voice and called: "Here!" In response to her lecturer calling out her name from the role. "Wait a minute..." She looked around. "Where's Georgia?"
"She's helping Tyler." Somebody nearby said, and a few people nodded, since Tyler was in a wheelchair and needed to use a different exit during an emergency.
"No, she's not." Tyler himself said, as he wheeled himself over to them. "She was, but she took off just after we left the building - said she had something to do."
Emma turned white - Ace, who was looking at her, saw the change instantly, but didn't know what had caused it.
"Okay, everybody, calm down!" A female lecturer named Kathy called as she came hurrying over, clapping her hands together for silence. Everybody looked at her, except for Emma, who was numb, and Ace, who was staring worriedly at her. "It's a false-alarm - I saw a little girl sneak in and pull the fire-alarm. She hasn't been caught yet, but there is no danger at all, so you can all go back in and return to your work."
As the group began murmuring, and heading back towards the TAFE, Emma seemed to 'wake up', and hurried over to Kathy, with Ace right behind her.
"Kathy!" Emma called, and Kathy turned around. "Kathy...this girl...what did she look like? Please, tell me, it's very important!" There was a sudden amount of emotion in her eyes, and Kathy thought that it must be a person that Emma knew.
"Well, let's see..." Kathy remembered. "She was little, and young, only about six or so years old, so what she was doing here without her parents, I know not. She had pale skin, and her hair was short...it was pink, too, so she must have some strange parents. She was wearing a really cute black dress, and white stockings...is everything okay?" She asked suddenly, as Emma had paled significantly more, and looked like she was about to faint. "Do you know that girl?"
"Huh?" Emma shook her head quickly. "Umm, no...sorry, never mind..." She grabbed Ace's hand and dragged him away. She was struggling to breathe, and then she nearly collapsed - Ace had to grab her by the shoulders to stop her from falling.
"Emiko, what is it?!" His eyes drifted over her, and then stopped at her neck. He also paled, just slightly. "Where's...your necklace?"
Emma looked up, her eyes full of dread. "Gone..." She whispered, and Ace nearly died.
Georgia's heart was pounding, as she ran through the streets, intent on getting to...well, somewhere. She was feeling anxious and terrified all at the same time, but she knew that each step brought her closer to her sister. That god, Little Death, had told her that she just needed to get the necklace, and then she would do the rest.
It's all for Carmilla...it's all for my sister... Georgia thought. It's not like I won't give Emma back her necklace when I'm finished with it...she can go without it for a few days, can't she?
Still, Georgia remembered Emma's unease about handing over her necklace. Little Death had mentioned that Emma used the necklace for something rather important, but she hadn't really stated what.
Oh well. Georgia needed it more, right now!
Georgia suddenly stopped, because her world had just gone dark. Well, everything around her had suddenly turned into a realm of black and dark pink, although Georgia's body was still lit up with light, like in the normal world.
"Ah...?" Georgia glanced around her, and then down. Wait, how did she have a shadow? As she watched, it expanded out and lengthened, and then Little Death appeared from within it, smiling her (rather creepy) little smile.
"You did it!" Little Death chirped, floating over to where Georgia was. "I knew you could do it!"
"Where are we?" Georgia wanted to know, looking around her.
"We're between worlds." Little Death replied simply. "It's a place that not many people get to see properly, since they usually travel through it so fast."
"Uh...huh..." Georgia looked at the goddess of death. "And, so...why am I seeing it, then?" She noticed that the world that she was in wasn't entirely abstract - the black shapes had formed strange-looking trees and winding roads and mountains and, in the distance, even a castle. She turned back to Little Death, and noticed that the little girl suddenly had a strange gleam in her eye. "What...?" Georgia asked, taking a quick step back.
"Well, you see," one would have thought that Little Death sounded almost apologetic - almost. "I tricked you. I'm sorry."
"What do you mean?" Georgia asked, suddenly fearful. "You said I could go to where my sister was!"
"And I meant it." Little Death nodded. "You can go to Carmilla. You just...can't come back. Ever." She smiled a slightly evil smile.
"Tell me why not..." Georgia said, through clenched teeth.
"Because..." Little Death was suddenly right in front of Georgia, and had grabbed the necklace out of Georgia's hands before the red-head could react. "I'll be taking this! You need it to get back, but I need it to free my master. You understand, right?"
"No, I don't understand!" Georgia cried, as the darkness began to envelope her.
"Don't worry!" Little Death's voice called out, strangely cheerfully. "You will! Oh, but I probably should warn you - they might not take too kindly to you when you show up, so be ready to run!"
"What do you mean?!" Georgia cried, as she blacked out. "Little Death? Little Death?!"
Emma had her head bent over, as she stared into her coffee cup. Her hands were shaking and, despite everybody telling her that it wasn't her fault, she was still feeling guilty.
They were sitting up on the rooftop again, but Emma was too panicked to feel comfortable. Because of her and her trusting nature, they'd lost their only means of transporting themselves back to their own world. Who knew what Georgia and Little Death would do? This power in the hands of the Marines would be disastrous!
If the worlds as they knew it were destroyed, then it would be all her fault.
It didn't help that she was the only girl there - Nami and Sumi had taken Nojiko shopping, after the blue-haired girl's miraculous recovery from yesterday's encounter with those lowlife animal abusers (and, by shopping, that meant shoplifting).
Emma was sitting on the couch, in-between Luffy and Ace. Law sat across from them in a chair, Sanji sat on the low stone wall and puffed on a cigarette, Zoro and Usopp sat on the other couch, Chopper sat on a little bar stool and Garp was in his favourite chair again.
Garp sighed. "This is a problem, whether it's your fault or not, Emma." He looked up, to see Ace and Luffy both glaring at him. "What?! I said that it wasn't her fault!"
"She feels bad enough as it is, Ojichan." Ace snapped, putting an arm around Emma's shoulders.
Emma nodded. "I mean...now, we might never get you all back to your own world..." She gasped. "Oh no! But...then Luffy will never become the Pirate King!" She looked panicked. "But...he has to! He just has to!"
Luffy suddenly turned to her, and grabbed her by the shoulders, squeezing them tightly until she winced, but it got her to stop panicking.
Luffy looked at her, straight in the eye, and then he said: "I will. Don't worry."
"But..."
"We'll get back there somehow." Luffy said seriously. "I promise."
Emma swallowed, and looked into Luffy's dark eyes. She saw absolutely nothing but the honest truth in them, and realised that, above all else, she could trust him. If he said that they would get back, then he'd probably find a way to do it, even if it meant moving Heaven and Hell with his bare hands, he would do it.
Emma nodded. "O-okay...I just don't want you to lose your dream."
Luffy grinned. "Shishishi. Don't worry, Emmy - I'm still gonna be King Of The Pirates!" Both Ace and Law rolled their eyes, but then glared at Luffy when he added: "You can join my crew, too! You can be..."
"She's not joining your crew, Luffy!" Ace snapped, whacking Luffy upside the head. "So just forget it!"
"But she has to!" Luffy whined, rubbing the back of his head and glaring at Ace. "She has to be my Pirate Queen!"
Law choked on his tea.
"Baka!" Ace grabbed Luffy's ear, cuffing it, as Emma shifted away, sitting on the coffee table instead and watching their childish fight with an amused expression on her face. "That means that she'd have to marry you!"
"No, it doesn't." Luffy said, blinking in surprise. "She's going to marry you, after all."
Ace stopped what he was doing, and stared at Luffy in surprise. "Wait...what?" He blushed, and glanced at Emma, who smiled back at him.
"Shishishi." Luffy grinned. "Ace is blu-shing!"
Ace glared angrily at Luffy. "I am not!" He cried, lunging for Luffy, who laughed, and dodged out of the way.
"Ace is in heat!" Luffy teased, and Chopper and Usopp started laughing.
Zoro just rolled his eyes, and he and Sanji watched Ace chase Luffy around the rooftop.
Emma, still sitting on the coffee table, started laughing, her eyes sparkling happily. Law, who was watching her, noticed the change in her attitude - it seemed like those two brothers could make her happy no matter what the circumstance. It gave Law a strange feeling that he suspected might be jealousy...he didn't like it.
Emma suddenly turned to him, smiling. "Ne, Law-San, you know...I've been thinking that, if the opportunity arises, then...well...I'd like to meet your crew, too." She looked embarrassed. "Oh! And, when I do, please can I hug Bepo? Please?" She set down her coffee cup and clasped her hands, gazing endearingly at him.
Law stared at her for a moment, before he sighed, and smiled. "You'll have to ask him that now, won't you?"
Emma grinned. "Okay, then I shall!" She picked up her coffee cup again, and skulled half of it. Law rolled his eyes.
"Ne, Emma," Zoro said suddenly, and she glanced up at him. "So, what are you going to do about your necklace, I mean seriously?"
"Don't worry, Zoro." She smiled. "We'll work something out. I'm sure the gods that you don't believe in will help us out."
Zoro rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever."
Sanji jabbed Zoro none-too-softly with the toe of his dress shoe. "Don't talk to a lady that way, stupid swordsman!" He then smiled at Emma, and came over to her. "If there's anything you need me for, Emma-Chan, then I will be more than happy to help you!"
"Arigatoo, Sanji-Kun," she replied, and then she thought of something. "Actually, there is something that you can assist me with..." She took another swig of her coffee, finishing it, and then she set her cup down.
"Anything..."
"Well," she said. "I've been training with Grandpa Garp, and I'm quite confident that I can throw a pretty decent punch. The problem is with my kicking - I can't quite get the hang of it and, well, I thought that maybe you could...you know...?"
"Say no more, Emma-Chan," Sanji said, putting up a hand as he smiled at her. "I will be more than happy to help you master what you need to know!"
"Yay!" She surprised him by suddenly hugging him, much to his delight. "I need to be ready for my rematch with Coby!" She drew back from him, and grinned up at him. "Let's begin my training this week - there's no time like the present!"
"But, don't you have classes?" Chopper spoke up.
Emma shook her head. "Well, yes, but...I think I can get out of a few..." She muttered.
"I see..." Sanji nodded. "Well, how about Thursday, then?"
Emma nodded. "Yeah, sure...wait, noooo..." She shook her head, again. "I can't...I have somewhere else I need to be, very early and then again in the afternoon..."
"Where's that?" Sanji wanted to know.
"I'm going to Kings Park for the Dawn Service." Emma explained. "It's April twenty-fifth - Anzac Day - which is when we honor all of the soldiers that fought in the many wars over the years. Like my Grandfather." She added.
"Oh, so he was a soldier?" Zoro questioned.
"Mmm." Emma nodded. "I never met him, but I wish that I had. He was my Dad's Dad. He became a prisoner of war, and was forced to work with other slaves in cruel conditions on the Burma Railway, at a place known as Hellfire Pass." Her eyes darkened slightly. "He was then a prisoner of war on an enemy ship, that was torpedoed by a submarine belonging to one of my country's allies. He spent four days at sea but, luckily, he was finally rescued. He watched many of his mates drown, however, and injuries he sustained in that war led to his death from a heart-attack when my Dad was twelve." She finished up and, for a second, all of them could picture what the war must have been like. Was this world really as bad as their own?
"So, what are we doing in the afternoon then?" Sanji asked.
"Huh?" Emma blinked up at him. "What's this 'we', White Man?"
"Well, obviously, we're coming with you." Zoro shrugged. "While you...pay your respects to your Grandfather."
"Yeah, we'll come with you." Usopp added. "As long as we don't get arrested or anything."
"Heart of a lion, that one." Zoro muttered.
Emma smiled. "Thank you...all of you...it's my Uncle's birthday, as well, so the entire family is going to go down to the river for afternoon tea - do you want to come?"
"Will your family mind?" Ace asked, in a way that meant 'will your parents mind'?
Emma shook her head. "No, I think it'll be okay. We can always leave if not. I'm sure the girls will want to come, too." She stood up. "Well, I'd better get back home. I'll be here bright and early for our training session, Sanji-Kun, and then in the afternoon, let's make Anzac Cookies!"
"Sure, but what's an Anzac Cookie?" He wanted to know.
"Only the bestest cookie in the whole wide world!" Emma grinned.
"Why's that?" Luffy asked her.
"You'll see!" She sang, smiling.
Later that night, Emma sat up in her room, after a fairly civil dinner of vegetables with her parents. She was lying on her stomach on her bed, listening to her radio (Girls Generation was singing I Got A Boy) and surfing the internet on her laptop.
She checked her Face-Book, and found a private note, which she opened to discover was from Ashlee.
Emma froze, staring at the screen.
Ashlee hadn't written anything, she'd just sent Emma two pictures - one was of the anime version of Portgas D. Ace, and the other was a picture of him from her party.
Emma felt her blood run cold. She knows...
Shakily, Emma typed a message: Are you going to Uncle Wayne's party on Thursday?
Ashlee responded immediately: Yes.
Emma swallowed, and was just about to type back, when her Baby Den-Den Mushi woke up, and started ringing. Emma answered it immediately. "Moshi-Moshi?"
"Emma-Chan, it's Sumi!" Sumi exclaimed. "I'm sorry I missed you today, but I need to tell you something!"
"What is it?" Emma asked, adjusting her position, so that she was lying down on her back, with her head next to her computer.
"I know how we can get back to our world!"
Emma sat bolt upright. "Really? How?! How did you find out?"
"Duh, I can talk to gods, remember?" Sumi giggled. "Being a Mythical-Zoan and all, you know? So, anyway, this lady comes and talks to me, and she told me that there's a second necklace!"
"Oh my God, really?" Emma gasped. "Where is it?"
"Well...she didn't tell me..." Sumi admitted. "She just said that it looks different from the one you had, because it's got sapphires on it, and not rubies."
"Sapphires, huh?" Emma's gaze drifted to her computer, and to Ashlee's profile picture, which showed her wearing the sapphire necklace that Emma had gotten her. Emma's eyes narrowed. Faith was a lying liar that LIED. But, that might just be a good thing. "Okay, Sumi-Chan...let me work on this..."
"Do you have a plan, Emma-Chan?" Sumi wanted to know.
"I think I do, Sumi-Chan...I think I do..." Emma said, as she typed in a message to her cousin: Please bring the necklace that I gave you - I'll explain everything to you.
The next day, Emma pretended to be going off to TAFE, but instead she went straight into Fremantle and began her training session on the rooftop with Sanji, which ended with one broken wall opposite the warehouse (Sanji's fault) and five broken windows (surprisingly, that was Emma's fault).
She was better at it than she'd thought, and Sanji told her so honestly, much to her joy. In the afternoon, they made cookies together, and everybody else either helped, or got underfoot and ate the cookies almost as soon as they were done. Emma told them that she thought she might have a way to get them back home, but she needed to see, and she wouldn't answer anymore of their questions after that.
Emma had brought over some of her manga (not volume 59 - she bought over the Water Seven arc instead) and even the Luffy doll, which everybody else found hilarious. They spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out, until Garp got annoyed with them all and kicked them all out, so they went for a walk along the docks, and window-shopped for boats.
They seemed to be attracting quite a bit of attention - maybe because of Chopper, even though he was wearing a jacket with a hood? People often stopped and glanced their way, and Emma remembered what her parents had said about society's habit of judging people. It annoyed her - people should just learn to accept people for who and what they were!
Luffy was walking at the front with Usopp and Sumi, pointing excitedly at the street performers.
Behind them, Nami and Nojiko chatted, and Sanji trailed just behind them, gazing dreamily at the two sisters.
Zoro was walking behind him, with Chopper, who was sticking close to the tall swordsman to avoid being stepped on by like-sized peoples.
And, at the back of the group, Emma walked with Ace on her right side and Law on her left, happily smiling in content bliss at what she was suddenly a part of. She couldn't help but notice a few girls giving her sideways glances...no, wait, they were glancing sideways at Ace, but they were glaring at Emma.
Emma closed her eyes briefly, and then she grinned, and latched herself onto Ace's arm.
Ace glanced down at her, looking a bit surprised. "Hmm? Emiko? What's up?"
"Nothing," she replied, smiling back up at him. "I'm just in a good mood!" I know this is only a rare moment of calm, and that something's going to happen soon, but...I've always dreamed of this! Surrounded by people that love me, strolling through the town during a beautiful Wednesday sunset...walking snuggled up against each other, just like any boyfriend and girlfriend! A dream I had given up for impossible is coming true! She sobered slightly. And, if Ashlee's necklace doesn't do what my one did, then nobody else's dream is going to come true...
Ace noticed the sudden change in Emma, and realised that she must be deep in thought - her eyes were unfocused, and she was biting her lip slightly.
Luffy's voice seemed to snap her out of her reverie. "Emmy!" He came sprinting back to them. "Guess what! Guess what!" He grabbed her hands, jumping up and down.
"What? What? What?!" She cried, looking around in a wild panic.
"That restaurant over there is going to give away a free all-you-can eat meal, if you win that contest!" Luffy pointed to a sign that pretty much clarified everything that he'd just said.
"Yeah, so?" Emma blinked.
"So, go and win us a free dinner!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Wha-?!" Emma turned white, and began shaking her head, knowing what talent Luffy intended for her to do. "L-Luffy, no, I can't..."
"Just pretend you're singing for us!" Luffy suggested, as the others came back.
"What's going on?" Sumi asked, smiling.
"Emmy's going to sing and win us a free dinner!" Luffy explained.
"Don't just decide for yourself!" Emma exclaimed. "I-I can't, I have stage-fright!"
"If it helps," Sumi said. "Just picture everybody in the crowd is naked."
Emma's eyes widened, and she glanced over at Ace, who looked amused. "Umm, Sumi-Chan...I doubt that'll work."
Nami rolled her eyes. "Guys, if she doesn't want to do it, then don't force her into it - she's not a trained seal."
Nojiko nodded in agreement.
Luffy looked disappointed. "But...I think she'll wi-in..." He whined, his shoulders sagging.
Emma cringed. "Luffy...don't...don't do that..."
"Oh dear..." Nojiko smiled slightly.
"But...I just thought..." Luffy pouted, and Emma felt her self-resolve wavering. "That you...cared about us..."
"Oh, here we go..." Sanji rolled his eyes.
Emma sighed, defeated. "Okay, fine then - I'll do it, just...stop pouting..." She face-palmed.
"Yosh!" Luffy cheered, brightening instantly. He reached up, took off his hat, and placed it on Emma's head firmly. "For luck." He explained, when she gave him a surprised look. "Now, go up there, and win us our dinner!"
"You're shameless!" Usopp, Nami, Zoro and Sanji yelled.
"Shishishi..."
"I, umm...want to enter...?" Emma nearly whispered, and the hostess looked up at her, with a bored expression.
"Talent?" She drawled, snapping on her chewing gum.
"Umm...singing...I guess...?"
"Mmhmm." The hostess replied. "Song?"
"Umm...?"
The hostess nodded to a pile of CD's. "Choose something, and hand it to the DJ. Next!"
Emma nodded, and robot-walked over to the CD's. She began rifling through them, and a terrible thought struck her - she hadn't been able to sing before she'd acquired her powers! But, what if it was the necklace, and not the Devil Fruit?! What if she couldn't do it?!
Emma was shaking, so much that the pile of CD's fell over, and a few people glared at her.
Sumi suddenly appeared, grabbing Emma's hand and dragging her into the restrooms of the restaurant. She turned to Emma, and grabbed her other hand. "Breathe!" She commanded, and Emma tried to. "Breathe - in through the nose, and out through the mouth!"
Emma did as she was told, and felt a little bit calmer, despite all of the butterflies in her stomach.
"Okay, now, what's the problem?" Sumi asked her.
"T-tell me if I can sing or not!" Emma whispered, and sung a few lines from a song: "Oh my love, it's you that I dream of, oh my love, since that day...well, how was it?!" She closed her eyes, almost afraid of the answer.
Sumi stayed silent, and Emma dared to look, dreading the answer.
Sumi was giving her an odd look, and Emma feared the worst. But then: "What do you mean? You sound the same."
"The same as I did on the ship?" Emma questioned, and Sumi nodded. "You're sure?"
"Hai - it's the same, and people are going to love it." Sumi said firmly.
Emma sighed. "Good...I was...afraid that, when I lost my necklace..."
Sumi shook her head. "Emma-Chan, the necklace isn't the reason you can sing good."
"Oh, I know that now, it's my Devil Fruit..."
"No," Sumi had a strange look in her teal eyes. "That's not it, either..."
"What, then?" Emma was confused. "Because, Sumi-Chan, I hate to tell you this, but I couldn't sing properly before..."
"I know," Sumi muttered but, before Emma could ask her how she knew that, Sumi began leading her out of the bathroom. "Now, come on, you have to get back out there."
"But...I need to use the bathroom..."
"No excuses!" Sumi gave her a shove. "Out!"
Sumi found her way back to her fellow pirates.
"Problem?" Nami asked her.
Sumi shook her head. "Not anymore, Nami-Chan."
"Good..." Sanji was smiling dreamily. "I want to hear Emma-Chwan sing..."
"It's got be better than these other people..." Zoro muttered, and the others agreed with him. There were some people that had talent (a lot of it), and some people did...not.
They had to endure it, although a few people were pretty good.
"Not as good as our Emmy, though!" Luffy said confidently, crossing his arms over his chest. "She'll win for sure!"
"She'd better," Usopp muttered. "I'm hungry!"
"Hey, that my line!" Luffy complained, just as a middle-aged contestant finished his stand-up comedy act.
"Hey, it's Emma's turn!" Chopper chirped up, and everybody turned their heads to the stage, as Emma crept up there. She looked terrified, as she faced the crowd.
"Oh dear, she's nervous." Nojiko whispered.
"That," Nami stated flatly. "Is an understatement - you never should have talked her into doing this!" She scolded Luffy and Sumi.
"Hey, don't blame us!" The two of them said in unison.
"Ssh, it's starting!" Ace said suddenly, his eyes fixed on the stage, as the music started.
It was beautiful violin music, and Emma's hands clutched the microphone, as she gazed up at the crowd, and then saw Ace. She blushed (probably picturing him the way Sumi had suggested), and then she closed her eyes, and began to sing.
"Say it's true..." Her voice shook, but instantly they could hear that it hadn't lost its melodic ring. "There's nothing like me and you...i'm not alone, tell me you feel it too..."
She sung the whole entire song, only faltering slightly on the 'make love to me through the night' line, and ending on such a high note (literally) that, for a moment, people were stunned, and then they started clapping and cheering.
Emma looked shocked, and then she ducked her head, smiling and trying to hide her smile, as she handed the microphone to the hostess, who just boredly snapped on her bubblegum some more.
"See, I knew that this would make her feel better!" Luffy grinned, and Nami looked shocked.
"You mean...that was your plan all along?" The orange-haired beauty sounded stunned. "To make Emma feel better about herself?"
"Shishishi..." Luffy nodded, just as Emma appeared through a space in the crowd, and hurried over to them.
"Emma-Chan, you rocked!" Sumi gave her a high-five.
"You sounded beautiful!" Chopper added, and Emma blushed, rubbing the back of her head in a very Chopper-like way.
"You did good." Zoro nodded to her.
"Emma-Chwan, you sang like an angel!" That was you-know-who.
"I knew that she would be fine!" Usopp spoke up, grinning.
"Well done." Nami and Nojiko said in unison.
"It was because she was picturing me naked." Ace grinned, and Emma blushed even more, and hid her face in her hands. Ace laughed. "See, I told you!"
Emma peeked at him through her fingers, and then dropped her hands and looked away, meeting Law's gaze.
He smirked, and gave her a slight nod.
She smiled back at him.
Luffy put his arm around Emma's shoulder. "We are so going to win that free meal!" He declared.
"You so are." The stand-up comedian agreed, overhearing him.
Three waitresses (let's call them April, May and June) had been given an extra shift on that particular night.
The restaurant was in full-swing that night, and none of them were prepared for the crowd that had won the contest. Well, technically, only one of them had (and, she seemed to have the best manners out of them all), but she had insisted that her friends get to eat there as well, and all of them seemed to either have monstrous appetites and high metabolism, or else they hadn't eaten in, like, a month...
"They have no manners whatsoever!" April whispered to June, as they stood back by the kitchen doors.
"Yeah, but the one with blonde hair's kind of cute!" June replied.
"What?" May overheard them. "I think the tall one with the beanie on is adorable!"
"Hey, ladies, I'm not paying you to stand around and boy-shop all night, now get to work!" The restaurant owner shouted. He then blanched. "Umm, what's up with that kid's arms?" They all watched as Luffy's arm snaked across the table, and stole Usopp's Sirloin steak right off his plate.
Usopp jumped up, pointing his fork accusingly at Luffy. "Hey, that was mine, Luffy!"
Luffy just shook his head innocently but Nami, who was sitting next to him, jabbed him roughly in the face. "Don't stretch!" She scolded him. Man, this is just like it was in Arabasta!
"My steak!" Usopp wailed.
"Quick, get the kid another steak!"
"Yes, chef!"
"Hey, what's with that little kid in the hoodie, isn't he getting hot underneath all of that fur?" May whispered, pointing to Chopper.
"Well, he's certainly eating fast enough, so I doubt it." April sighed, and walked over to the table. "Excuse me, sweetie, but you shouldn't eat so fast - you'll get a tummy-ache."
"Hmm?" Chopper turned to look up at her, and she gasped, seeing his fur-covered face.
Sanji, who was sitting next to Chopper, came to the rescue. "You are looking lovely tonight, my dear," he took her hand. "And, may I know your name?"
"Umm...it's...Aprilynne, but most people just call me April..." She said shyly, blushing.
"Ah, April-Chwan, how my heart sings for thee!" Sanji sighed.
"Umm...okay..." She took her hand back and edged away from him, back towards the kitchens. -Chwan?
Luffy and Ace, meanwhile, had both gone for the same meatball that was left on the plate that had once housed spaghetti and meatballs. Their forks clinked together, and the glared at each other. Ace already had a mouthful of spaghetti, but he made his point clear, by pointing to the meatball and then himself and nodding, and then pointing to the meatball and then to Luffy and shaking his head.
Whilst this was happening, Zoro stole the meatball, which led Usopp to sing a song that he had heard during the competition.
"On top of spaghetti, all covered with CHEESE..." Chopper joined in. "I lost my poor meatball, when somebody SNEEZED!"
Ace nearly choked on his spaghetti as Luffy started laughing, and Nojiko and Nami joined in.
Zoro, meanwhile, just ate the meatball whole, and then flagged down a waiter (whose name was Bob) and said: "Oi, get me some more of that stuff there." He pointed with his fork to an empty plate that had once had something on it.
"Yeah, what was that dish, anyway?" Sanji called from across the table.
"That was fried pig tongues."
Sanji and Zoro exchanged a horrified glance, and then ordered: "I want some more!" And, Zoro added: "And, some more beer, for me to wash down the taste!"
Bob rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever." He was getting fired tomorrow, anyway, so he didn't really care what happened.
He walked past June, who started running when she noticed Chopper was choking, as she had a tray with more water glasses in her hand. "What did April tell you about eating too fast?!" She exclaimed.
She hurried past Law, who was calmly eating the white rice that came with the white-wine infused Tiger Prawns, and then he realised that his prawns were missing. He glanced across the table, to see all twelve of the tails sticking out from Luffy's mouth.
Law raised an eyebrow, before casually reaching over - and stealing the bruschetta off of Luffy's plate!
Luffy looked shocked, as Law just smiled back at him, as if daring him to take it back.
Luffy looked about ready to take that dare but, just then, a lobster went by on a plate, and he cried: "Oh!" And grabbed it straight off the plate!
"Luffy!" Nami gasped. "That belonged to the man at the table over there!"
"Ow-ll-e-an-juft-gt-a-nw-one!" Luffy said, with his mouthful.
Nojiko smiled. "He either said: 'oh well, he can just get a new one' or 'owl and juice, go annoy one'."
"What the Hell?!" Nami cried, and both the sisters started laughing.
"Ne everybody!" Luffy suddenly called, raising his glass. "A toast to Emmy...wait..." He looked over at her. "Is Emma Pax your real name?"
"No, it's a made-up one." She gave him a Look. "Augh...it's Emma Liefde Pax."
"Liefde?" Somebody nearby called. "What is that, German?"
"No, it's Dutch - my Nanna knew a guy." Emma replied, as everybody in the restaurant suddenly raised their glasses.
"To Emma Liefde Pax, whose Nanna knew a guy!" Everybody cheered.
Emma was looking shocked by this stage, and then she looked even more shocked, when Garp suddenly crashed through the doors, and shouted: "SO HERE YOU ALL ARE!"
Everybody stopped what they were doing and stared at him, except for Emma, who just stood up, and called: "Waiter - kindly get another chair for my Grandpa, please!" To Garp, she said: "Grandpa, we get to eat free tonight, so order as much as you'd like!"
"Don't mind if I do!" Garp declared, sitting at the other end of the table when a chair was placed there. "Give me one of everything!"
"U-waaa?" Bob looked shocked, even for him.
"You heard the old man!" The head chef cried. "Get cooking, everybody!"
"Yes, chef!"
"So, granddaughter!" Garp called to the other end of the table, grinning. "How is it that we can eat here for free?"
"She won us a free dinner with her amazing singing skills, Ojichan!" Luffy called. "Hey, Ace, pass the butter!"
Ace passed him the butter, and then added: "Yeah, it was amazing - you should hear her sing!"
Garp raised an eyebrow. "Why doesn't she just sing here?"
Emma, who had sat back down again and resumed eating her ministrone soup, gasped. "Not here!"
"Aww, come on, Emma-Chan!" Sumi called to her. "You don't get dessert if you don't sing!"
Emma sighed, and poked at the pasta shells in her soup. "Fine, but...everybody has to sing with me."
Zoro glanced at her. "What are we singing?" He sounded like he couldn't wait to hear this.
Emma didn't say anything, but just got up and walked to the corner of the room, where the piano was. Either she'd had too much wine, or she was starting to develop some confidence, because she'd never played the piano for anybody but her parents, and they just called it noise. However, she'd been practicing since she was seven years old, and she developed the ability to play by ear. It was a skill that she was proud of - she had worked hard towards it, and now seemed like the perfect time to showcase it.
She sat down, and tapped her foot a few times to get the rythm. As soon as she played the first three notes, Luffy and Usopp dropped their forks, and exchanged a happy look.
"If it's this song, then we'll join in, too!" Luffy declared.
"Sure!" Usopp agreed.
"Oh, I love this song!" Chopper cried.
And, they all began singing Binks' Sake.
In the other world, a creature looked up, the moonlight not reflected in his eyes that weren't there. He would have cried but, without tear ducts, he couldn't. "Yohoho, I can hear them!"
Another creature looked up, the moonlight reflected on his sunglasses, and he grinned. "Suuuuper - I can hear them now!"
A third creature looked up, the moonlight reflected in her stunning blue eyes. She smiled, and said nothing, but she could hear it, too.
A young woman stood at her window, gazing out across the night-time sands. A cool breeze blew her blue hair out behind her as, for some reason, she thought of her friends, and the thoughts made her smile. She wondered where they were now, and what they were doing.
"You like to know?" A voice said from behind her, and she gasped, and turned around, panicked all of a sudden. "No need be afraid." The lady standing before her was old, and had blue eyes that seemed to hold the truth. "Princess, is time you learned your Destiny...be not afraid..." She added, as a woman with very long blue hair appeared beside her, and extended a hand, which created a beam of glowing light that shot straight at the young Princess...
Back in Fremantle, the group walked back to the warehouse, talking and laughing amongst themselves.
"Did you see their faces when Luffy ate that whole entire cake?!" Chopper laughed. "They were like 'oh no, what'll we do'?!" He did a pretty good imitation of the chefs, and Nami, Nojiko, Luffy, Usopp and Sanji started laughing.
Sumi was trying to get Zoro to walk in a straight line. "Oh, now come on, sword boy," she shook her head. "How much did you drink?"
"Umm, let's see...eleventy?" Zoro murmured. He was actually just pretending to be drunk, and Sumi's reactions were simply priceless.
Sumi hung her head. "Oh, you're worse than Oyaji."
"Whose Oyaji?"
"Whaaa..."
Law, Ace, Garp and Emma were walking towards the back, when Emma suddenly stopped, and looked out over the water.
"Sugoi..." She whispered, as fireworks from Rottonest Island lit up the night sky.
"Sugoi!" Luffy agreed, hurrying for a better vantage point on top of a stone wall.
Everybody stopped walking, to watch the sky show. The colours of red, green, blue, gold and pink lit up the sky in a spectacular fashion, as other people on the streets stopped to watch in amazement.
There was a slight distraction, as the silhouette of a man riding a bicycle cycled down the jetty, and rode off into the water, and Usopp swore up and down that he saw five shark fins circling out in the bay after that but, for the most part, it was peaceful and awe-inspiring.
Ace glanced at Emma, who was standing next to him, slightly bent over one of the flat rock with her elbows leaning on it, and gazing dreamily up at the skyful of colours. He reached out, and took her hand.
"Hey, can I borrow you for a minute, Emiko?" He asked quietly.
"Sure, as long as you give me back." She replied, and they walked hand-in-hand away from the crowd, and further down the street. There was ocean on both sides of them, when Ace turned to Emma and, keeping a hold of her hands, tried to decide how to begin.
How should he go about this?
Emma suddenly said: "Ace-Chan, I have to tell you something." He glanced up at her, startled, and hoped that she wouldn't say that she was breaking up with him or something. "I'm in love with you." Ace just stared at her, but there was suddenly no amount of shyness or nervousness on her face - just pure determination. "I have been for quite some time now, possibly even before we met but, that just sounds weird so I won't say it again. I decided tonight that life's too short not to say such things and, as Whitebeard-Sama always says, 'do whatever you want, as long as you don't regret it'. Well, Ace-Chan, I don't regret this or you. I'll never regret loving you." She took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly.
Ace was still staring at her in shock.
It's okay. Emma told herself. I said what I had to say, and i have no regrets! She smiled slightly. No regrets...okay?
'So, you two are in love? I can tell just from the look in your eyes.'
Huh? There's that voice again...
Ace waved a hand in front of Emma's face. "Emiko, earth to Emiko..."
She shook her head suddenly. "Huh? Oh, uh, h-hai?"
Ace grinned. "That's more like it. Since when did you become the one to suddenly declare your feelings?"
"Since that day in Louge Town, remember?" Emma reminded him, and he nodded.
"Well, I'm not as good with these things," Ace said. "And, to be perfectly honest, I still don't feel like a deserve you. I mean, you're a sensible, decent, hard-working middle-class girl, and I'm a low-life, wanted criminal with an insane amount of cash going out for my capture."
'Yes...I never imagined it could happen this way, but...it has...'
"And yet..." Ace suddenly looked at her intently. "I want you in my life now. I want you to be by my side, and not go anywhere. I want to be known for having you as my partner, even if it means dragging you into the world I live in."
"News flash, Portgas D. Ace," Emma said quietly. "I'm already in it - we might as well tackle this life together."
Ace nodded. "My thoughts exactly. Which is why..." He shifted slightly, reaching into his pocket, and Emma's heart just about stopped. Was she ready for this moment? "I want to be the kind of man that I'm supposed to be. Maybe I don't know what that is yet, and maybe I'll never be that man. But, I will keep trying for the rest of my life, if I have to, to be the one that deserves to be with you. I'll protect you, I'll take care of you, and damn it I'm going to love every single part of you like no other." He declared, and Emma's face turned a deep red colour. "Hell, I'll even cherish you, and I don't use the word 'cherish' very often. Do you see it now?" He asked her, opening his hand to reveal the two rings. The sparkled in the moonlight. "You've changed me, Emiko, and I'm going to figure out just what it is about you that can...make me a better man."
"All I ask..." Emma whispered, and Ace glanced up at her. Her lips were quivering - with Ace's declaration, she'd lost her bravado, and her eyes were filled with tears, but she was smiling. "Is that you love me, in a way that I never thought that anybody else would? Can you do that for me, Portgas D. Ace?"
God, he loved it when she used his full name!
Ace nodded, swallowing. "And...?"
"And I will love you...more than anybody has loved anybody before..."
Ace stared at her for a moment, before he dropped to one knee, making her gasp - the tears dripped from her eyes, and her face was suddenly pale. Her skin was very cold, and Ace could hear her heart beating...or, was that the fireworks? It was hard to tell...
"Emma Liefde Pax," Ace said, taking her left hand in his. "I promise to do everything I can to be the kind of man who deserves you, so...this ring is that promise, that I'll always be there for you, no matter what." He slid the ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand.
Emma's heart pounded in her chest - the ring fit perfectly!
'If I have a child with him, then I hope that our children can be friends...'
Emma shakily reached out, and took Ace's left hand. "P-Portgas D. Ace...I promise to do everything in my power t-to be the kind of girl who deserves to stand by your side, through all of the blood and tears. No matter what, I'm yours."
"As I am yours." Ace whispered (why was he whispering?), as Emma slipped the ring onto Ace's ring finger - like hers, it fit perfectly, like it had been made for him, or something...
Emma knelt down, and Ace drew her closely towards him.
Even though they just knew that the eyes of all their acquaintances were boring holes into them all the way from the rocks, Ace and Emma kissed knowing that, from here on out, they were in this together, and they had no regrets.
Author's Notes:
. Belinda Carlisle, Summer Rain - youtu . be / 9LCqMgmQ_lU
. The Corrs, Runaway -
- Karaoke: youtu . be / t0coHmtrqtQ
- Normal: youtu . be / xoXVXaoUxu4
. On Top Of Spaghetti - youtu . be / 6GNTs5Gw9H4
. Binks' Sake: youtu . be / V - WP9KU3q _ I
Diclonious57 - that's good to know. :) Thanks for reviewing.
Shiningheart of ThunderClan - bacon would wake any sensible person up! XD Yeah, Emma's having a bit of a rough time but, believe me, everything will become a whole lot clearer for her, soon enough. And, she doesn't leave because she doesn't know how to...yet...
Mugiwara Wolf Spirite - don't worry, they're together. So, there's no need to give me any reason to burn my eyes out...you know what I'm taking about...
AiSoraix3 - yes, Ace to the rescue! XD He's good to have around in a crisis. Thanks for the review!
MsWildLuck - please don't set Boa on me. *Cowers* Law will get his chance, soon enough, especially given recent developments...please keep Boa at bay... *Scared*
Chieko Namikaze - mercy is good. ^^ Come out from the corner, friend, it's okay. *Pats your back in a comforting way*
Cocoa Liddell - Amazing Ace. XD Constant? I try to get them out every second day, but I was updating every single day when I first started this fan fic. I will keep on trying! :) And, you'll just have to wait and see, in regards to Emma's living arrangements!
Shinobi . Hikari . Ookami - thank you so very much! ^^ And, don't worry about the parents, they'll get sorted out soon or later, but not in the ways that you're thinking. Ooh, I want to go to Spain - is it nice there? :D
KaiF . Raphaella - but, Cliffies make the world go round! Thanks for the review! XD